The first known record of Godmersham was in AD824, when Boernulph, King of Mercia, gave Godmersham to Wulfred, Archbishop of Canterbury. Godmersham was also included in the Domesday Book. Godmersham parish now comprises two communities: Godmersham and Bilting. It lies on the A28 midway between Ashford and Canterbury in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is bounded by the North Downs - with the North Downs Way and Pilgrims’ Way traversing the parish to the North West. A village hall is shared with the neighbouring parish of Crundale. Each parish has its own church, but since 1946 both parishes have shared one priest. Godmersham church is Norman and contains a carving considered to be one of the earliest representations of Thomas-à-Beckett. Godmersham Park House was built in 1732, and eventually became the property of Edward Knight, brother of Jane Austen. Her novel “Pride and Prejudice” is said to depict characters and scenes from the village. The house is now a Training College for Dispensing Opticians. Possibly because the area has become a dormitory for people who work in Ashford, Canterbury and further afield (some people commute to London by train from nearby Wye station), the village lost its pub and school in 1946, and the shop/post office in 1982. Godmersham is served by an hourly bus service from Ashford and Canterbury and a twice-daily post-bus from Canterbury.